Denzel Washington to take lead on The American Can?

Denzel Washington is being lined up for the lead role in Will Smith's Hurricane Katrina drama.

Will had originally planned to take on the lead role in 'The American Can' - which has been in development for two years - but his filming commitments on 'One Thousand A.E.' means he has decided just to produce in order to avoid holding up the project any further, and so has approached the 'Training Day' star to lead the cast instead.

The movie follows the real-life ordeal of the residents of the American Can apartment complex who were trapped by eleven feet of water when the hurricane hit in 2005.

A former Marine named John Keller - the role Denzel has been offered - stayed behind to ward off looters and care for the dozens of elderly or infirm residents who were unable to evacuate, and following days of unsuccessful bids for help, finally attracted attention by moving dozens of those trapped onto the roof of the building.

Denzel - who is currently filming spy thriller 'Safe House' - is currently reading the scripts and giving notes, and Will and Sony will then decide if he is the right choice for the role.